5. A Run Through the Woods

Farrel’s beast was at home in these woods. Even if they were not his true haven, they were better than the city. Better than those artificial structures that closed in the humans and corralled that infernal stench of vampires back at Abenwae. He was a massive creature in his wolf form. Easily seven feet tall, heavily muscled, sleek, strong, and sure of every movement he made. His fur was thick, colored mostly in rich brown, though there were streaks of lighter tan here and there providing a natural camouflage. The only trait he carried from his human form was his bright green eyes. Intelligent yet savage, they swept the surrounding area while he moved; enormous paws propelling him through the forest with an ease that should have been impossible for a creature his size.

He spotted something small and white skitter to his left. Then, in one blurring move, blood stained the pure snow. He could have swallowed whole the plump rabbit. But for the healer, it would make a fine dinner. He clutched the scruff of the tiny animal’s neck between his teeth and turned to lope his way back towards the camp. On his hunt, he had traveled five miles and made it back little more than halfway when his sensitive ears picked up the sounds of the woman.

Her labored breathing, shallow and desperate, to suck in the cold air as she ran heedless of the dangers ahead of her. Her lungs felt like they wanted to explode, but she kept going. She felt her side cramp and her body screamed for rest, but she pushed on. Her labored breathing came as gasps as she trudged on, trying to make it to safety.

As he veered off towards her, closing the distance between them he could hear the wild beat of her heart, the hiss of snow being kicked out of place and the loud sound of her small feet crunching twigs, frozen leaves, and other debris under each footfall. For all the ruckus she made, she could have been running screaming and naked with blood smeared on her and gained the same effect.

His low growl erupted only feet towards her left, breaking the silence of his own movements. A shrill scream erupted from her throat as she heard that primal growl from him. She tried to turn and run, but his thick arms banded around her like hot steel, lifting her right off the ground and putting an end to her mad dash for freedom. He spat the rabbit out, dropping the animal at his feet before he let his control shift. Against her back, his body changed, shrinking, and molding back into his human form as the wolf’s fur shed off him. She screamed again as she felt his body changing behind her. It was an eerie feeling, especially for one that had never seen it happen before, only hearing stories. When he changed, he gave a quick shake of his frame to send any remaining bits of fur flying off him.

“Where the hell are you going?” he growled, his anger doing little to soften his voice, and that frustration gave it a predatory sound no matter if he was human again.

Her frustration at being caught turned to tears as she heard the voice of her captor. She knew it was him, and she knew now that he would never let her get away. She felt the impact of his voice as surely as if he had struck her, causing her to flinch.

“I don’t want to die,” she said through the sobs as her tears turned to solid crystals on her cheeks.

She just shook her head, repeating the same phrase. A frustrated sigh, rough and growling, rushed past his lips. Humans were so frail in every sense of the word. They were supposed to be logical, though. Sprinting alone in the middle of the night through the woods so close to werewolf territory was madness. Even if she could have gotten far, the direction she was running in would have taken her right into one of the small villages near the border. And they would have passed a pretty thing like her that smelled as sweet as she did around the male wolves, like a bitch in heat.

He loosened his hold on her only enough to turn her around to face him. Her teeth were chattering when he turned her around to face him. Her lips had a blue tint to them, as did her skin. She was freezing to death and she didn’t seem to care. In her sprint to escape death, she would have been the one running into its icy embrace. She was damn near frozen from her sprint in the cold and the chill from her skin prickled his fingers when he cupped her face between his palms.

“Stop it,” he commanded; using his voice of authority as one of the pack’s alpha’s speaking to her.

Even though it did not have the unwavering control it did on his lessers, he didn’t doubt that a human could pick up on the power behind his words. His tone caused her to look up right into his eyes and not look away. She recognized that tone as one her father had used on her many times. She couldn’t look away from him, even if she had wanted to. The only movement was her bottom lip from the cold.

When he was sure he had her attention, he softened his tone. “We will not kill you, healer. I’ll make sure nothing can hurt you while you’re with me.”

“Prrrromise me,” she said to him, her teeth still chattering as her voice cracked a bit from the cold.

Emmalyn needed to hear the pledge from him, something to assure her they would not kill her. She didn’t know why, but she trusted him, at least in some small part.

Farrel’s face twisted into almost comic surprise. Here she was, frozen, clearly terrified, and she had the gall to make demands. He had to admit she had a fire in her. It was a shame her spirit couldn’t keep her frail body warm. Gruffing out an impatient noise, he bent down, grabbed the rabbit by the ears before he scooped her up into his arms. Her clothes were wet from the snow, but until they returned to camp, he could do nothing but offer the heat of his body to warm her.

“I promise no one will kill you,” he vowed as he turned back towards the camp and the staggering trail she had left through the snow.

His word was enough for her as her body sagged against him. Emmalyn was worn out from her short trek through the snow. Her eyes almost rolled to the back of her head as his arms tightened around her. He would keep her safe, she knew he would. She trusted him. She didn’t know why, but she did.

He tightened his grip on her, hunching himself over to shield her as best he could as he took off running. His longer strides and speed turned her ten-minute sprint into a thirty-second jog. In no time they reached the clearing and the crackling fire burned, casting its warm glow about the circle. The others were still gone.

It seemed like it was only a blink of an eye from when she was standing in front of him until she was standing in front of the fire. She could already feel her body thawing, but it was also melting the snow that clung to the material of her clothing, soaking her to the bone.

Farrel tossed the rabbit down out of his way. He once more lowered her to her feet, careful and gentle as ever. Then, with no warning at all, grabbed a handful of her wet gown and yanked it from her. The seams split as if they were paper. She gave a short squeak as he ripped her clothing from her without so much as a warning, leaving her standing there in only her chemise. It too was dripping wet.

“Get the rest of your things off, healer. Everything that’s soaked and then get on the tarp.”

“But, but I’ll be naked,” she said in protest.

Emmalyn hugged herself as she kept the material on. Unbeknownst to her, the light-colored material did little for her modesty. Everything underneath was visible to him should he look.

“You’ll be warm faster. And you’ve nothing to show that I can’t already see,” he murmured.

His hand lifted, and he flicked the tip of his finger across the hard point of her pink nipple that was seen through the wet material of her chemise. Unlike the others that had leered at her, Farrel’s warm and appreciative as they drifted down her frame. There was little time for him to admire her, though. The longer she stood around trying to protect her modesty, the faster she’d turn into a block of ice.